


Immovable

by SLUG_CAT624



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Cultural Acceptance, Cultural Differences, Discussion of ethics, Drawn Out Prompt 2, Gen, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Mandalorian Culture, Mando'a (language), Picture is not 1000 words - Got 2500k out of this prompt, Sith Shenanigans, The story behind the picture, Vode An (Mando Battle Hymn), clone culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 22:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18882811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLUG_CAT624/pseuds/SLUG_CAT624
Summary: Inspired by Drawn Out Prompt 2 by Lilituism.***“The Jedi do not understand our ways, I know.  But the Duchess sent me a message- there is a Mando’ad among the Jedi.  She calls him Ben, and he knows our ways.  I cannot promise you safety, but perhaps a few comforts of home. "





	Immovable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lilituism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilituism/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Drawn Out](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13644678) by [Lilituism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilituism/pseuds/Lilituism). 



> I took more of a 'story behind the picture' approach then have the picture be the climax of the story. *shrug* Wanted to try something different. Also, I mess with the timeline and the canon CW animated series A LOT in this. But I am really happy with it, and I hope you enjoy!

**Immovable**

_ Special thanks to the  _ _ Drawn Out Prompt 2 _ _ by Lilituism.  Available to view at <https://archiveofourown.org/works/13644678/chapters/35936037#workskin> _

__

It started back when I was just ‘24.  When the Mando trainers still beat me, and Jango Fett was an overseeing shadow.  When I crawled out of the training pits they throw us into, bruised and bloody, only for my fingers gripping the edge to be crushed by a steel-toed boot, to land on the spiked bottom again.

There were whispers in the cadets, that a  _ Jetii  _ was here.  To the newly decanted, the Jedi seemed like gods in humanoid form.  Something to pray towards. The older ones, toughened, bruised by the cruel training and the grim fate ahead, felt nothing.  Perfect soldiers.

It started with ‘67, the circles, the names, the Mando’a.  Secret things that were so forbidden words could not be used.  Identity. Love. Morality.

He should have been called  _ Wrecks. _

[][][]

I was on the shooting range, movements mechanical and instinctive.

_ Bullseye.  Bullseye. Bullseye.  Bullseye… Reload. Charge.  Bullseye. _

“Hello there.”

I swing around smoothly and cock my rifle.  The man slowly lowered his hood, and the movement revealed a glint of silver at his waist.  The man smiled softly. “I’m sorry to disturb you…”

“CC-2224, sir.”  The man frowns but says nothing.

“Very well, CC-2224.  I’ve seemed to have gotten myself lost…” He chuckles.  “I was wondering if you could direct me to-” He pulls out a scrap of flimsi.  “-Compound 46A-3?”

I nod.  “Of course, sir.”  I slide the training rifle into a holder along the wall with a  _ snap _ .  The man bows.  

“Thank you, CC-2224.”

“Commander, sir.”

“Commander then.”

[][][]

Rex is practically exploding with excitement.  As much as we clones can, anyway.

“Vode,  _ stop that. _ ”  Rex had been obsessively signing ‘general’ over and over in Mando battle signs since this morning.  “It’s not proper.”

“You and your regs, vode.  Loosen up.” A pause. “I heard your general is a red-head, and I know you have a thing for-”

“Rex, if you don’t shut up right now-”

“You’ll cut off my  _ deece? _ ”  Rex’s laughter was static on the helmet comms, and I sigh.  The door to the room opens, and Rex-  _ thank Manda _ \- and I snap to attention.  

A Jedi Padawan enters first, golden braid brushing his shoulder.  When the Master enters behind him, a good foot shorter than his apprentice, Cody’s breath catches.

_ I know him. _  The man in the sodden cloak who surprised him on the shooting range, who he lead to his meeting room on the other side of the compound.  Who've eyes were as sharp and as calculating as the longnecks, but didn’t carry the coldness. The man he knows speaks.

“Greetings.  My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.”

Skywalker inclines his head.  I step forward first.

“Clone Commander CC-2224, General, Commander.”  Kenobi smiles.

“Lovely to see you again, Commander.  Are you well?”

I can practically feel Rex’s shock behind me.   _ For all that’s holy, vode, keep your trap shut. _

“Well enough, sir.”

Kenobi nods.  “Good.” He turns to Rex.  “And you must be the clone who broke his designation, yes?  Captian-”

“Rex, sir.”

_ Vode you did NOT. _

Kenobi’s face is unreadable.  “Take off your helmet, trooper.”

The commander speaks behind him.  “Master-”

“Hush, Anakin.  Your helmet trooper.”  Rex removed his helmet, the slightest crease near his eye betraying his nervousness.  The General stares at Rex, assessing.

_ Don’t send him back for reconditioning.  He’s just being stupid, let me talk to him- _

The General steps back.  “Commander, you’ll be with me.  Captian, you will be put on reserves for now.”

_ Thank you.   _

[][][]

The hologram of Jango Fett whirred to life.  I breathe.

_ “If you are receiving this message, Manda has taken my soul too soon.  There are portions of your childhood that I regret. That I wasn’t there.  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be you buir, I just wasn’t allowed. But I saw each one of you tested, and your all worthy of Mandalore. _

_ “The Jedi do not understand our ways, I know.  But the Duchess sent me a message- there is a Mando’ad among the Jedi.  She calls him Ben, and he knows our ways. I cannot promise you safety, but perhaps a few comforts of home.   _

_ “Choose to do what you will with this information, but share this message with your men.  Vode an.” _

I search the temple records.  The only Ben registered was a Twi’lik infant.

[][][]

It’s on a tropical moon whose name and system I can’t remember.  We’re marching to the Republic camp from our crash site. The General and the Commander are bickering back and forth.

“I told you  _ not _ to crash-”

“It’s not my fault some  _ flying raptor hit the ship- _ ”

“Oh,  _ come on, _ Anakin.  I warned you-”

_ “You told me to fly left, not WATCH OUT FOR THE BLOODY RAPTOR!” _

General Kenobi opens his mouth to say something but then tilts his head, eyes sharpening in a way that reminds me of Mandos when there hunting prey.

“Droids.” he mummers, a heartbeat before the clankers emerge from the underbrush, and Kenobi tosses me his lightsaber.  I catch it, the training ingrained in me overcoming surprise.

_ “Master?!” _

“This moon is full of endangered flora and fauna,” he replied calmly to his padawan’s panicked shout as he crushed the head of a droid with the force.  “The Separatists may not care, but I’d rather not contribute to their extinction.”

Commander Skywalker grumbles but compiles, clipping his lightsaber to his belt and raising his hands alongside the general’s.  The skirmish is over surprisingly quickly for just two men fighting, and Kenobi frowns.

“Must have been a scouting party.  Best to move quickly then,” he says to the men, and a chorus of ‘yes sirs’ erupt from behind me.  He turns to me. “Ah, Commander, thank you,” he says as I hand him the lightsaber.

“Permission to speak freely sir?”

Something flickers in his eyes.  “Always, Commander.”

A deep breath.   _ You’ve fought by his side for six weeks now. _  “That was very reckless, sir, two men against an unknown number of enemies.  Even if you are  _ Jetti. _ ”  The Mando’a slips out unwillingly, and I flinch.

_ “Gar ratiin jorhaa’ir cuy ogir’olar joha.” _ The words roll of Kenobi’s tongue smoothly, and I feel my face redden.

“Vor entry, jatne vod.”

Kenobi smiles.  “Of nothing, Commander.”

“Cody.”  I feel Rex’s heated stare.

Kenobi’s smile widens.  “Cody then.”

[][][]

It a rare week of leave and Rex barges in and drags a chair up to my desk, and props his booted feet up on a stack of datapads.

_ “What.”  _ I snap, and my vode raises his eyebrows.  I rub my eyes and sigh softly. “Sorry, vode.  It’s been a long few months.” Rex swings his feet off the desk and plucks the datapad from my hand, adding it to the stack before resting his feet on it again with a smirk.

“Those were  _ sorted! _  Unlike  _ some people _ , I have a system for my paperwork-”

“See, this is why you and Kenobi get along so well, Codes,” Rex drawls.  “You…” He frowns and a puzzled look crosses his face. “...uh....” He scratched his temple.  “What was I saying?”

“Are you  _ drunk!?!” _

“Maybe…”  Before I can say anything, Rex continues.  “...Skywalker took the 501st out for drinks at 79s to celebrate him becoming a general.”

“You let Commander Skywalker- oh sorry,  _ General  _ Skywalker take the  _ entire _ 501st out for drinks, despite the fact  _ were being deployed tomorrow!” _

Rex shrugs.

“Manda, vode.”  I rub my temples.  “Is there anything constructive you need to tell me?”

Rex leans on the desk, a tell-tale glint in his amber eyes.  “Well… I heard Kenobi was free tonight...”

“For the love of Manda, vode-”

“I’m aware that both you and Kenobi don’t have a sex drive.  The whole of the  _ Republic _ knows that.  I’m  just  _ suggesting- _ ”

_ “Vode-” _ I growl.   _ I will not punch his teeth in.  I will not punch his teeth in… _

Rex stands.  “I dunno, just go have tea or something.  Take a break, relax.”

...That actually didn’t sound too bad.

[][][]

I drag myself to wakefulness though sluggish blackness.  One of my vode- Kix I think- is snapping his fingers in front of my face.

“Hey, you need to stay awake vode.  You’ve got a pretty bad concussion.”

I groan.

“Oh, don’t be a pussy.  Come on.” Kix hauls me sharply to my feet.  The world spins.

“Ok, vode, come on.  You always seem to manage to fall right in the thick on the battle.”

“Got to… keep up with the General…” I slur.  Kix snorts.

“Bullshit.  You’ve been doing it since you were a cadet.”  Kix drags me to the med tent, and the world slips away again.

 

When I wake, it’s not Kix or Helix’s face I see, but Kenobi’s.  The shadows under his eyes have grown more pronounced, and his eyes were more grey than blue today.

“How long was I under?”  Kenobi helps me sit up.

“Long enough.  I… there were some close calls.”

I keep my face neutral, digesting that information.  I shift my right leg, absently to get into a better position to see the general when white-hot pain flashes through it.  Kenobi flinches, and the emotion that flickers through his eyes so briefly… I’ve seen it before. When cadets spend their first night in the pits, or when they get their first beating by the Mando’s spiked gloves.

_ What hell did the general have to go through to get those kinds of scars? _

“Sorry Cody, my concentration slipped when you woke up.”

“Your… concentration?”

A tight smile.  “A properly trained force sensitive can funnel pain away from another being.”

“Oh…”  Suddenly, something clicks in my head.  How Kenobi spends a night in the med tent after a long battle.  How so many vode who should have died are walking around today, whole and healthy.

“Where does it go?”

Kenobi looks surprised.  “What?”

My eyes narrow.  “Where does the pain go?”

Kenobi lets out a shaking sigh.  “The force sensitive must take it upon… themselves.”

“You are such a  _ di’kutla _ , General.”

A soft sigh.  “I know.” 

The moments pass in silence, and Kenobi speaks.

“Obi-Wan, Cody.  Call me Obi-Wan.”

I smile.  “Obi-Wan then.”

[][][]

I stand on the bridge of the  _ Negotiator _ , two steps behind my General.

“This is different, sir.  This mission.”

Kenobi’s face is a stark white in the pale blue glow of hyperspace.  “Yes, Cody,” he mummers softly. Then his mask is up again, and he has a cheery smile.  “Are your brothers excited to see Mandalore?”

I stare blankly, feigning disbelief.  “Excited, sir?”

The light, ringing laugh that sounds from Obi-Wan startles me, and I hear a  _ thunk _ of something dropping in the background.

“It’s good to see you laugh sir,” I mummer softly, for no one else to hear but him.  When he turns to me, his blue-green eyes are shimmering pools.

“Cody, something will go wrong on this mission.  I will be hurt, crushed, splintered to pieces. It’s not right for me to ask this of you, but… take care of Anakin, please.  He won’t understand.”

“Will you die, sir?”

A shake of the head.  “No, but I can feel the approaching storm.  Manda can take people in other ways besides death, Cody.”

“A broken heart.  A shattered soul.”

“Yes.”  His eyes flicker back to hyperspace.

“I will stand beside you, vode.”

“I’m not worthy of that title.”  I step closer, and my reflection appears beside his in the glass.

“Jango spoke of you.  Said the Mandal’ore herself called you a child of Manda.”

“That was a long time ago.”

I shake my head.  “No, if you are Mando’ad, your Mando’ad forever.”

Kenobi tilts his head back and utters a sigh.  “Vode.”

“Vode an,” I promise.   _ I’ll stand beside you, General.  Forever. _

 

I’m too late.

My general kneels beside the Duchess, the Mandalore, broken, bowed before the red and black creature.

_ “Ah, the great Obi-Wan Kenobi, kneeling at my feet crying over his puny little bitch. _ ”  Anger coursed through me, and I’m about to spring when my General catches my eyes in the shadowy rubble where I’m hidden.

_ Don’t, this is my fight, _ those eyes say, and I reluctantly crouch in the shadows again.

“Maul, do you remember the last time we met?”  Except it’s not the High Coruscanti lit that he uses to mock Ventress or Dooku or the other Separatists.  It’s a low growl, and there’s a faint harsh undertone that comes with a Mando’a accent on Basic. He stands with the grace of a tiger on the prowl, hunting.  He shifts into a Mando fighting stance, and I can almost imagine his teeth dripping with the blood of his enemies like the Mandalorian of old. He begins to circle Maul, eyes a pale gold.

“Because  _ I remember.  Oh, I do. _  I remember  _ cutting you in half. _  I won’t make the same mistake this time.”  Maul snarls, and then the fight begins.

It’s fast, almost too fast I can’t see the individual kicks and punches, slashes and burns.  But I can, part because I know what to look for, part because the adrenaline coursing through me makes my vision go even crisper.  Taunts fill the air, curses, snarls, and grunts of pain. But my General is fighting dirty, and when he puts the blade though Maul’s heart, his eyes are yellow rings in the dimness of the room.

“Don’t come near me, Anakin,” Kenobi snarls, and I realize General Skywalker is on the side of the room, face as white as a sheet.  He staggers back, arms were thrown protectively around Commander ‘Soka. When my name is yelled out across the room, I approach, unafraid, knowing what Obi-Wan needs.  When the General throws himself at me, I sidestep, deflect. It goes on for a few minutes, his eyes slowly fading back to blue. When the post-combat rush is over, he sinks to his knees, sobbing.  I kneel beside him, and he clings to me.

“Udesii, General,” I mummer.  I hum the first few bars of Vode An, and sing it, low and soft.

_ Motir ca’tra nau tracinya. _

_ Gra’tua cuun hett su dralshy’a. _

_ Aruetyc talyc runi’la solus set o’r. _

_ Motir ca’tra nau tracinya. _

_ Gra’tua cuun hett su dralshy’a. _

_ Aruetyc talyc runi’la trattok’o. _

_ Sa kyr’am nau tracyn kad, Vode An! _

[][][]

I didn’t know my life would end today.

After Obi-Wan lost his second half on Mandalore, I didn’t try to fill the gap.  Despite Rex’s tauntings, I didn’t feel romantically attached to my General. Nor him to me.  I would be his vode. Not brother,  _ vode _ .  The Jedi didn’t quite understand that, most of all, Anakin.  When I heard ‘Soka left the Temple, I knew she understood. The call to duty.

After Mortis, Commander ‘Soka, my vode’ika, asked me to take care of my General.  She grew so much older in those few days, and I saw the shadows in her eyes too. I told her to take care of herself.  But I knew she would.

Were on Umbra, and by Manda do I hate it.  When I stand by my general’s fallen body, fighting against my  _ vode, brothers, lifeblood _ , I realise how much I’ve changed.

I’m not a programed machine, a flesh and blood droid.

I am Kote, Child of Manda.

[][][]

A darkened room with a man bound in chains.  The Darkened Star, contained by no obsidian or a master’s whip.  The Once Was One asks the bound man.

“Who are you?”

“CC-2224.”

**Author's Note:**

> Mando’a Dictionary:
> 
> NOTE: The Mando’a language has no gender-specific words. For example, while vode is often translated to brother, it really means both brother AND sister.
> 
> Vode - brother/sister
> 
> Vode an - Directly translates to ‘brothers all’. Means united. Also the name of Mando battle hymn.
> 
> Mando’a - the language of the Mandalorian people
> 
> Mando - a Mandalorian
> 
> Mando’ad - a child of Mandalore/Manda. Used as an honorary title.
> 
> Vod’ika - little brother/sister
> 
> Manda - the god Mandalorians worship. Feminine. Equivalent to saying something like ‘oh god [why would you do that]’.
> 
> Deece - [CENSORED]
> 
> “Gar ratiin jorhaa’ir cuy ogir’olar joha.” - You may always speak freely, no matter the tongue.
> 
> “Vor entry, jatne vod.” - Thank you, sir.
> 
> Di’kutla - stupid, fool.
> 
> Udesii - Calm, as in ‘calm down’. Used to soothe or comfort someone.


End file.
